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Mixing plate and putty knife, with body putty and catalyst. Body putty is a polyester resin pre-mixed with a filler. It is grey in colour, and looks a bit like glazing putty. However, it is a catalysed product, meaning that it will not dry in air, but when mixed with a few drops of catalyst it hardens within a few minutes. I used it to fill in screw holes, small dents and dings and staple holes.

Glass makes a good mixing surface, because it is smooth and easy to clean.

Procedure:

1. Sand the area that needs smooting, and mark the places that needs filling.
2. Remove a working amount of resin from the tin and put it on the mixing plate. Amounts differ, but a dessertspoon full is about a workable amount.
3. Add a few drops of catalyst to the putty. The more drops you add the shorter the working time you have, but the faster it will harden.
4. Mix the putty and the catalyst.
5. Without pausing or spending too much time on one place, use the putty knife to press putty into all the holes, and smooth it down.
6. When the putty on the plate starts to harden (it happens surprisingly abruptly!) stop working.
7. Scrape the excess putty from the plate and discard it.
8. Clean the plate and putty knife, ready for the next round.

posted by Niel Malan @ 11:17